J 999 Jersey Personalised Number Plate

A REGISTRATION plate which was expected to fetch up to £40,000 at auction on Wednesday failed to sell.

J999, which is assigned to a scooter of ‘insignificant value’, went under the hammer at Glencoe Auction Rooms in St Lawrence.

But it failed to reach its reserve price.

Although nowadays it is strapped to the back of a two-wheeler which has seen better days, it may once have been attached to the star asset of Pontypandy Fire Station.

A JEP investigation (a quick search on Google) has uncovered evidence that the J-plate once belonged to Jupiter – the shiny red fire engine driven by Fireman Sam.

It's not clear whether the Welsh firefighting hero is now trying to raise some much needed capital after falling on hard times, or whether they are simply two registration plates which happen to share the same number.

More Number plate Auction news:

A TEAMNZ number plate being auctioned on Trade Me has reached a bid of $23,000, 11 hours before closing.

User floppy9 has listed the plate from Taranaki with a starting bid of $20,000.

It urged buyers to "be the first to show them off around the streets of New Zealand".

Peter Burling was at the helm for Emirates Team New Zealand when the Kiwis overwhelmed Cup holders Oracle Team USA 7-1 off Bermuda to lift the Auld Mug on June 27.

Floppy9 advised to hold on to it until the next America's Cup as a good investment.

The plates, according to the seller, had been bought a very long time ago.

The following list shows plates that have been sold in the past at the highest prices. Most of these were sold in auctions across the country although some were sold by the DVLA.

‘25’ O for £518,000.

This is the most expensive Regplates ever sold by the DVLA, and were purchased in 2014 by Ferrari dealer John Collins. The plate is currently being used on a Ferrari. The market value of the car is around £10,000,000.

‘F 1’ for £440,000.

This Regplate was the previous record holder for the highest price paid for a reg plate. The plate represents the initials of Formula 1 racing and was bought in 2008 by Afzal Khan, a businessman from Bradford. The plates are currently being used on his McLaren Mercedes SLR, which is quite an impressive match.

‘S 1’ for £404,000.

This is claimed to be the first Regplate that was ever made in Scotland. Therefore, it is both special and rare, as it is only one of its kind. The Regplates were purchased in 2008 at an auction by an anonymous bidder who said the plate would be used on an old Skoda. It’s a good investment, either to mark history or as an antique.

‘1 D’ for £352,000.

These initials bear a resemblance to the American pop group One Direction. However, it is interesting to note that the Regplate was purchased a year before the group was even formed. Nabil Bishara, a businessman from Lebanon, purchased it.

‘M 1’ for £331,000.

Mike McCoomb, a businessman in the phone industry, bought this unique Reg plate back in 2006. He said the plates were meant for his son, who was 10 years old at the time of the purchase.

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